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Health, Diet & Family

Juicing for Health

Juice your body back to health after the Raya season where surely a lot of food was consumed and your tummy could use a rest and something nutritious.

These are chock full of goodness!

With all the Raya feasting that has been going on, I’m sure your body is craving for some sort of detox. Now, we’re not talking about the drink liquids all day and no solid foods detox, because lets face it, it’s almost impossible to do. No, this detox focuses on injecting your body with some vitamins and goodness in the morning and you’re free to eat as you please during the day, just don’t over do it, of course.

Juicing is an amazing way to get all the nutrients your body needs. And think of it this way, if you’re meant to be getting 3-5 servings of fruits and veggies a day, you can get it all over and done with with just one juice in the morning that has 3-5 fruits or veggies in it. Simple as that!

Do your body some good and have your juice first in the morning when your body is best able to absorb all the nutrients. Just note that fresh juice starts to lose nutrients as soon as it is made. If you want to retain the full benefit of your effort, drink the juice immediately and don’t save it for later. You can juice just about any vegetable or fruit and play around with combinations. It is always best to add a fruit in with the veggie juices to give it some natural sweetness.

Here are three great juices to make that are overflowing with healing properties.

1 Beetroot + 1 Cucumber + 2 Large/5 Small Tomatoes

Don't let the bright purple of this juice scare you away. The more colourful the juices the better they are for you. This one doesn't have any fruits and mainly relies on the tomatoes for sweetness. If you would like more sweetness add in half a green apple or just stir in some honey.

Nutritional Benefits:

Beetroot – Loaded with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, and C. The beet greens have a high content of iron, calcium, magnesium, copper and more.

Cucumber – Contains an impressive amount of naturally distilled water, which is superior to ordinary water. Its skin contains a high percentage of vitamin A so don’t peel it off!

Tomatoes – Rich in phytonutrients and an excellent source of vitamins C, B6, K, as well as beta-carotene, biotin, niacin, potassium, phosphrus, calcium and more.

Health Benefits:

Beetroot – Powerful cleanser and builder of blood and normalizes blood pressure. The choline detoxifies the liver, which makes this a good veggie to consume if you’ve had fatty meals or too much alcohol.

Cucumber – Counters inflammation in joints and removes uric acid crystallization. It helps to normalize body temperature in extreme heat and is a diuretic that encourages waste removal through urination.

Tomatoes – Lycopene, a carotenoid pigment in tomatoes play a role in the prevention of some types of cancer. It is an extremely powerful antioxidant. Tomato juice also stimulates the detoxifying function of the liver and kidneys.

2 Carrots + 1 Large Red Pepper

This is the tastiest of the three and its refreshing zing is a great start to any day. The and carrots and pepper provide enough sweetness of their own so it is not necessary to add any additional sweetener.

Red Peppers – A bell pepper can provide up to three times more of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C. Red peppers are especially high in astaxanthin and lycopene.

Health Benefits:

Carrots – This veggie’s molecules are closest to human hemoglobin molecules making it an effective blood-builder. The beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin keep the eyes in tiptop shape. It is also great in preventing dry skin, psoriasis and other skin blemishes.

This is the one combination that gets many skeptical stares. Most of you are probably thinking "What? Broccoli juice? Yuck!". This is actually quite palatable and it is chock full of goodness. The broccoli tastes somewhat grassy in juice form and the apple gives it a much needed sweetness.

Green Apple – Apart from having many vitamins, green apples contain a number of antioxidants such as polyphenol and flavonoids.

Health Benefits:

Broccoli – The powerful antioxidants makes broccoli a very good anti-cancer food. It is low in calories and it high in calcium to build strong bones. Just half a cup of broccoli juice a day will provide more than your daily required vitamin C and will help boost your immune system.

Green Apple – The malic and tartaric acids found in green apples neutralize indigestion and prevent constipation and diarrhea. They also clear gout and reumatism, prevent gallstones, maintain the cleanliness of teeth and enhance memory.

When you open up your juicer you wil come across all the fibres left behind. These are great for cleansing your system too. Put some back into the juice to make it a bit more pulpy or chunky, or you can eat these fibres as they are. If you're not keen on doing this, start up a compost/garbage enzyme where your fruit and veggie fibres will not go to waste.

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